fabnfortysomething

amsterdam is a major hub so should be ok

are you tendering-particularly in kirkwall?

that can add extra time till you actually get ashore and cut into day

a few years ago [admittetly on a different cruise line and private excursion] the line back for tender back to ship was very long and cruiseline excursions had to jin same line so limited time to explore on your own

the train is the same one for both independent and cruiseline passengers

all cruiselines block book seats so can sometimes be difficult to find seats independently especially if more than 1 ship in port

however its worth persevering as the cost can be half of that of cruiseline and as you are on same train they cant pull that old scare tactic that ship may leave without you

our experience several years ago was that a member of roll call co ordinated seats and reserved a central carriage for us

this meant when stopped at waterfall half way up we were directly opposite platform whereas carriages front and back of train were in tunnel and passengers had to make their way down carriages to exit-and yes those were the ones reserved by cruiseline

the other difference was that the cruiseline trip included a waffle at the hotel at penultimate stop before Myrdal

there is only single track with a cross over point half way up

the preceeding train was delayed coming back down so we waited for 20 minutes at this cross over point-good views though

when we arrived at hotel stop there was a crowd waiting to board having had their overpriced waffle

however they werent allowed to get on until train was on return journry 20 minutes later

it was late May but at that elevation there was snow and ice piled up on the platform!

we were feeling very smug we had booked independently! 

we live in UK so pretty used to wet weather and my husband also uses a mobility scooter

you can buy clear waterproof covers for the front console which will protect starter etc from rain

battery being under the seat is less likely to get a soaking but best to get waterproof covering for the rider which will also cover battery

my husband has a poncho type which covers his knees

waterproof trousers and overshoes which fit over his regular footwear

he uses a rucksack type arrangement which fits over back of seat to store all this stuff until required!

a few years ago we did regional train with no reservations-what a mistake

we were one of first at Berlin station with our cases but as train pulled in people surged past us to get on train ahead of us

we ended up sitting on our cases after lugging them up the stairs on train for most of journey to Rostock where we has a hotel booked

took local train to Warnemunde next day to embark

be warned although there is a wheelchair accessible route we couldnt find it and ended up lugging our cases down and up steps to get across rail to cruise ships  

ring MSC  they will give you a code for discount parking in Southampton nearest embarkation

we are sailing with MSC and got code from cruiseline

Cunard last year we got a code for cps

depends which port the cruisline uses

as the title suggests are there Gala nights on cruises less than 7 days?

ours is a 5 day from Southampton UK in May

we are treating Daughter Son In law and our 2 Grandaughters aged 4 and 2 and wondering whether to pack dressy clothes for evenings

Having visited Flam and Geiranger they are well worth seeing-we went ed May but sail in/out spectacular

10 hours ago, alfie2000 said:

4 of us sailing on msc seaside in june aged 70, 78, 80 and 83. Two have breathing and walking problems so will be on mobility svooters. Any tips for on or off ship would be appreciated. Stops are marseilles, genoa, civitavecchia, palermo and ibiza. We have all been to Rome several times so would like to do something else even if it is the 2 fit ones. Had a quick look at Ibiza and thought 2 of us could get a cab to the old town but could the 2 on mobility scooters have a poodle about near the ship.

you may want to ask this on Europe ports of call for more specific geogrhical info

However Civitiveccia would be accessible via taxi or mobility scooter along road from port into town-no pavement'sidewalk so on road

its a quiet seaside village but interesting if you dont want to head into Rome

Ibiza-similar

Marseilles-are you actually docking Toulon? 

11 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

How much earlier? Do you mean arriving in Southampton the day before sailing, or are you thinking of earlier than that?

no same day but will have a few hours to kill

we are cruising out of Southampton end of May

our boarding time is 3pm

we want to travel down earlier in case of traffic issues so anticipate having a few ideas to kill in Southampton

Any suggestions for keeping active toddlers aged 3 and 2 entertained in the area?

13 hours ago, NightWoman said:

As other members have mentioned its a health and safety issue.

If you take a blow up paddling pool for the children to splash about in, it will save embarrassment when asked to vacate the main pools 😊

 

thanks for suggestion

However we would never be asked to leave the main pools as the purpose of my question was to check if it was allowed in the first place

apparantly P and O are one of the few companies that allow them

However as I mentioned further up the page it may be a moot point as she may well be potty trained by May

1 hour ago, Fogfog said:

I should think the same applies- healthwise. Fecal matter closes down pools and requires serious steps. 

Even with hot tubs etc-- and adults - they have to address the pee in the pool problem. 😱 

I recall reading about the strong chlorine smell and reaction to urine

however swim nappies/diapers are sold for a reason and they are aloowed in public swimming baths

7 hours ago, Fogfog said:

NO

It is a health issue and prohibited by all regulatory agencies (if sailing out of US) IDK about other countries. 

this is a cruise out of UK and sailing within Europe

thanks for replies

Grandaughter will be a week short of her 2nd birthday at time of cruise in May but already showing interest in the potty as she copies her big sister

hopefully will be potty trained by then

Hi 

we will be sailing with grandaughters aged 3 and almost 2 in June

some cruiselines allow swim diapers-how does MSC stand on this

1 hour ago, onekoolmom said:

We are going on our first MSC cruise Jan. 21. We are flying into Orlando a few days early to go to Disneyworld. We are stating at a Disney resort and they can only provide transportation to the airport. We paid for MSC to take us to the port, but we have gotten NO answer as to where/what time to meet to get on the bus. I am a planner - I need to arrange the shuttle from the hotel to the airport but MSC says I won't know until the day before. Does anyone have knowledge as to when/where the MSC shuttle meets at MCO? Thank you.  

if you head to the Florida ports of call on this forum you may get more info there

last year a friend arrnaged shared shuttle transportation from Orlando area hotel to Port Canaveral-I cant remember the company but there are several private companies that offer this service either as on a seat by seat basis on a bus or a completely private transportation in a limo

if you can cancel MSC transport you may find this a better option and at least you will be able to plan!

I discovered Cunard policy re mobility scooters only allowed in accessible cabins ahead of our back to back transatlantic on Qm2 2022

I enquired about hiring mobility scoooter with scootaround and was informed they couldnt supply unless to a diabled cabin -in the end we bought a rollator and took it with us

QM2 does have a disproportionate number of diabled cruisers on transatlantic compared to other itineraries and cruise lines

However a major criticism of Cunard is their special assistance form which tends to get lost in transit

we got a telling off this year when our names werent on the list of needing assistance despite me sending back form several months earlier

after a written compalint to Cunard they ackowledged there were issues with existing system and say a new system will be in place in future

35 minutes ago, averyjenn said:

Could you tell me what the private tour was - the name of the company. That sounds amazing!

 

hi

the organiser booked directly through Flam railroad company same as NCL but without added mark up costs

another thing to consider when booking Flam rail

at the waterfall stop only the middle coaches will be directly outside platform-other ends of train will be in the tunnel and you will have to make your way along to get off platform-check this before you book/board

had to laugh at your description of the toddler looking bootfaced

I have 2 grandaughters aged 3 and 1

eldest would break into a grin from an early age as soon as you pointed a camera at her

junior looks bootfaced in most-we reckon its the weight of her chubby cheeks that make smiling difficult!

we are treating them and their parents to a 5 day cruise next year[MSC who status match] so going to be rnteresting!]

to me one of the joys of a back to back is not having to disembark and enjoying empty ship sitting in atrium and watching first passengers embark

its a real pain when port requires zero count and you have to hang around until allowed back on board 

my husband isnt a full time wheelchair user but has walking difficulties

even with wheelchair assistance airports are so stressful we have decided to just go cruise from home ports from now on

we did QM2 back to back southampton to new york last year and loved it-we were in standard balcony cabin

sailed QM2 August 2022 with drinks package and never had to sign-just hand over card

Sailed Queen Victoria last month with drinks package and again never had to sign